Labour accused of plotting NHS spending cuts

Telegraph 
31 Mar 2011

Mr Lansley claims that Labour would have cut NHS spending by more than £2.6  billion in England this year and points to reductions by the Labour-led administration in Wales as evidence.

Paul Burstow, the junior Liberal Democrat health minister, has also signed the letter, which details the alleged Labour spending reduction for every local NHS trust.

Last night, the Health Secretary said: “The Government’s commitment to our NHS is strong and enduring. Labour would cut our NHS in spite of the increasing demands on the service.

“The damage this would be doing from tomorrow [the start of the new financial year] would be immense. They would leave our NHS in crisis.”

Mr Burstow added: “The Government is using the spending which Labour opposed to invest in our NHS. The Cancer Drugs Fund, better access to talking therapies, thousands more health visitors and support for carers — all would be in danger under Labour.”

How the secretary of state for health proposes to abolish the NHS in England

9th March, 2011
British Medical Journal

Allyson Pollock and David Price examine the proposed statutory changes to the NHS and raise concerns that the government’s role could be reduced to that of payer.

The coalition government’s Health and Social Care Bill 2010-11 heralds the most controversial reform in the history of the NHS in England. The government plans to replace the NHS system of public funding and mainly public provision and public administration with a competitive market of corporate providers in which government finances but does not provide healthcare.

LIB DEMS: Clegg suffers stinging rebuke over NHS plans

Published on Saturday 12 March 2011 18:43
The Star (Sheffield)
 
NICK Clegg suffered a stinging rebuke from his own party at the Lib Dems’ Spring Conference in Sheffield over radical coalition plans to shake up the NHS.
Liberal Democrat activists overwhelmingly passed a motion criticising proposals to put GPs in control of commissioning services.
Speaker after speaker called for a rethink during a debate at the party’s spring conference in Sheffield.

True extent of NHS job cuts revealed

Published 23^rd February, 2011

The Telegraph

More than 50,000 doctors, nurses, midwives and other NHS staff are due to lose their jobs, according to the most comprehensive survey of health cuts since the Government came to power.